1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of engine oil and heavy equipment engines in general, and in particular to a magnetic based alarm system built into engine oil fill tubes to detect metal particles before they are pumped throughout an engine and to warn an equipment operator of the presence of the particles.
2. Description of Related Art
As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,174,892; 5,196,112; 5,228,990; 5,476,582; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,000, the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse fuel filtering systems that are designed to trap and/or otherwise remove magnetically attractive particles from a fuel delivery system.
While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, they are uniformly deficient with respect to their failure to provide a simple, efficient, and practical alarm system that is placed at the engine fill tube to warn the operator of the equipment of the presence of metal shavings in the engine.
As most owners and operators of heavy equipment such as bulldozers, backhoes, graders, and the like are all too acutely aware, a dangerous trend has begun wherein metal shavings/particles have been introduced into the engine crankcases of the heavy equipment to sabotage their operation and cause irreparable harm to the equipment.
As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need in the heavy equipment industry for a new type of anti sabotage warning system that can be installed in engine fill tubes to alert the operator of the equipment that an attempt to sabotage the equipment has taken place, and the provision of such a system is a stated objective of the present invention.